64 
OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 
PUBLIC GROUND NO. 1 WARWICK COUNTY, BELOW DEEP CREEK. 
This public ground, while continuous in its lines from near New- 
port News to above Deepwater Shoals Light, is divided, for purposes 
of administration, by a line running from Deep Creek to Days Point. 
Below this line the cull law is in force and tonging is practically 
confined to taking oysters for the market, while above the line it is 
legally permissible to take oysters of all sizes for planting purposes. 
The total area of the portion of the bed here discussed is about 5,515 
acres. It embraces six well-defined rocks or groups of rocks, the 
general condition and area of which are shown in the following table, 
which also includes a very small contiguous and overlapping area 
at the inshore edge of Kettle Hole Kock, known as Public Ground 
No. 2 Warwick County: 
Areas or Oyster Growth, Public Ground No. 1 Warwick County, Below 
Deep Creek. 
Name of oyster rock. 
Dense. 
Scatter- 
ing. 
Very scat- 
tering. 
Depleted. 
Total. 
Browns Shoal 
Acres. 
68 
6 
258 
76 
16 
44 
Acres. 
44 
0 
66 
118 
69 
0 
Acres. 
27 
16 
111 
100 
225 
10 
Acres. 
226 
4 
11 
127 
118 
52 
Acres. 
365 
26 
446 
421 
428 
106 
Gun Shoal 
Kettle Hole 
Thomas Point 
Blunt Point 
White Shoal 
Total oyster area .... 
468 
297 
489 
538 
1,792 
3,723 
Total barren bottom 
Total Baylor survey 
5,515 
As shown above, the barren bottom is equal to about 68 per cent 
of the area included within the Baylor lines, while the depleted area, 
which is almost uniformly worthless in its present condition, is equal 
to about 10 per cent. Assuming, as has been done in the discussion 
of the preceding grounds, that the bottom bearing a very scattering 
growth, of little or no present value so far as its market-oyster con- 
tent is concerned, is capable of regeneration under the operation of 
natural agencies, the total present or prospective productive bottom 
constitutes about 22 per cent of the entire area. The following table 
shows the estimated present market-oyster content of the several 
rocks and their respective subdivisions according to density of 
growth : 
